Buffy Gets Older, Xander Gets Wiser
by Slaymesoftly
Summary: A twist on Older and Wiser, in which a secret is revealed and the world doesn't come to an end. Much to Buffy's surprise. :)


**Buffy Gets Older, Xander Gets Wiser...**

Spike's quirked eyebrow and knowing smirk when Buffy opened her gift from Willow didn't go completely unnoticed. Nor did the fact that Buffy's gaze flew to his face before anywhere else. While she ducked her head, blushing and stammering as she quickly thanked Willow for what was essentially a vibrator, Tara was smothering a giggle and Spike was obviously laughing silently. Spike's response – at least the smirking part of it – was to be expected; Buffy's, on the other hand, screamed "silent communication going on here". And Tara's obvious amusement at their expense wasn't helping Xander's confused apprehension at all.

The uproar over Dawn's shoplifted gift and the discovery of Anya's missing items pushed his worry to the back of his mind. As did the battle in which vampire and slayer worked together much as they always had – an almost seamless team of fierce and lethal protection for the vulnerable humans. The fact that Spike saved his life at least once during the chaos, didn't really register on Xander at the time. Buffy and Spike saved people. It was what they did. Often together...

Much later, when he came upon a whispered conversation between Buffy and Tara – a conversation to which Spike was also an interested listener, albeit not one hiding behind a door – Xander was reminded of his discomfort at seeing their interaction earlier. Instead of interrupting, he paused where he was and listened.

"How could she do that to me?" Buffy asked, her voice more resigned than angry. "Couldn't you stop her?"

"I didn't know. We don't talk very often – it's just one-step-at-a-time. And anyway," Tara said, with a smile at Spike, "it would have been hard to talk her out of it without... you know... talking about something you said you weren't ready to come out with yet."

Spike stared back and forth between Tara and Buffy, the meaning of her words finally sinking in. "Buffy?" He switched his shocked expression to Tara. "Glinda?" Are you sayin' what I think you are?" And back to Buffy. "And what does she mean 'not ready _yet_'?"

"Let's talk about this later, Spike," Buffy said, appealing to his sympathy. "Tara knows, okay? But that's because she's... and I needed... and she won't..."

"She can be trusted and she's not judgmental," he finished for her. "Unlike the rest of your Scooby pals. I get it, pet. Was just surprised, that's all."

Xander flinched, his burgeoning anger at what he was hearing deflated by the truth of Spike's remark. He took a deep breath – one apparently heard by the vampire who turned around. "Decided to join the party?" he challenged as Xander stepped out from behind the door.

"Did you know I was there?" He glared at Spike. "You might have said something."

"Didn't know you were going to lurk there listening to things that are none of your business."

They glared at each while Buffy stared back and forth between, her breaths coming faster and faster.

"You heard?" she finally asked. "Xander? Were you eavesdropping?"

"Not on purpose," he said, breaking off the staring contest with Spike to focus on Buffy. "I was just looking for Tara and I didn't want to interrupt, so I..." He sighed. "But, yeah. I heard enough." He glanced back at Spike, noting the plea in the usually cocky vampire's eyes and knowing his concern wasn't for himself. Xander nodded, then turned back to Buffy. "So, you and Fang-face, huh? That explains a lot."

"It does?" Buffy blinked at him. "You're not yelling. Why aren't you yelling?"

He shook his head. "I'll admit that was my first reaction. But it's your life, and if that's what you want..." He sighed again, heavily. "Look, Buffy, I'd have to be blind and stupid not to know that you and Spike are... friends. Who hang out a lot. And I kinda get that, in a way. I mean he didn't have anything to do with bringing you back here and he likes going out to kill things and – okay, that didn't sound right even to me, but—"

"Wow. You mean all this time, we've been sneaking around and I could have just said 'Hey, Xander, I'm seeing Spike now' and you would have been happy for me?"

"Whoa! Let's not go crazy here. Happy? Hell no. But as vampires go, he's a big improvement over the last one."

"Too bloody right that is," Spike growled. "So, I don't have to watch my back around you?"

"Not unless the Buffster says so. As long as she wants you in her life, I guess I'll have to pretend it's a good idea."

"Thank you, Xan," Buffy said, giving him a quick hug. "I guess I should let Willow in on the news. And Anya, so she stops pushing poor Richard at me every couple of minutes." Giving Spike a quick smile, Buffy disappeared into the living room.

Spike was staring at Tara, a slow smile spreading across his face. "You've got depths, Glinda," he said, his smile turning to a grin as she blushed, remembering how she'd teased him about his 'cramp'. His expression softened again. "And thank you for being there for my girl when she needed you."

"You're welcome, Spike. I think Buffy's done enough criticizing of herself since she — since we brought her back. She doesn't need any more of it from the people who... did what we did..."

"Ouch," Xander said. "That sure puts any yelling I might have done into a different light." He shrugged at Spike. "I guess you get a pass, Spike. I never thought to look at it like that, but yeah, Buffy's life has been bad enough the past few years without her friends ganging up on her about her taste in men."

"Which you've already admitted has improved tremendously," Spike said, with a bump to Xander's shoulder.

"I said her taste in _vampires_ had improved." Xander bumped him back. "The jury's still out on what kind of man you are."

"One that loves her for _what_ she is, not in spite of it. One that hasn't wasted a single bloody second wishing she wasn't the Slayer, unlike the run-when-things-get-bad soldier boy you were so fond of. And not _only_ for what she is, like the Poof did..." Spike met Xander's shocked stare with a steady gaze. "Never going to hurt her. Not on purpose, and not by accident if I can help it. Know I'll make mistakes, but—"

"—but when that happens, you've got friends to smack you upside the head before you can do anything really stupid."

It was Spike's turn to look shocked. Tara broke the tension by smiling at them. "Yes, you have friends, Spike. And like all good friends, we'll be willing to jump in and tell you when you're wrong."

"And to stake you if you've hurt Buffy," Xander added.

"Goes without saying..."

As they all began walking toward the living room Xander snorted.

"What?"

"Oh nothing... just... push ups?"

Spike laughed. "You believed me, didn't you? Even when the Slayer was doing her best to give it away. Tell me you didn't think I'd lost it and was shagging an imaginary woman."

"Wasn't my brightest moment," Xander agreed. "But then again, I was worried that Buffy was going to turn into a puddle of goo. That she was invisibly boinking you just wasn't on my radar. Pretty stupid, huh?"

Spike shrugged. "You didn't have any reason to expect to find her in my bed. Hell, that early on, I was a bit surprised to be truthful about it."

"Anya's going to want to double-date, you know," Xander said.

"Over my undead body." Spike stared across the room where Buffy and Anya were having an animated conversation and smiling and nodding at each other. "Bloody buggering fuck," he breathed.

"Welcome to world of happy couples," Xander said, laughing and thumping Spike on the back.

Another whispered "bloody buggering fuck" was the only response.

The end.


End file.
